1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to hidden closures for jackets, trousers, luggage and other articles, in particular, to weather-resistant slide fastener closures.
2. Statement of the Problem
In recent years, there have been significant improvements in the development of weather-resistant fabrics for a wide variety of applications, such as outdoor clothing, sports equipment, and luggage. In addition to improved nylon materials with coatings of polyurethane, polyethylene or similar polymers, a number of comfortable xe2x80x9cbreathablexe2x80x9d waterproof fabrics have been developed that repel water while permitting the dissipation of water vapor (e.g., perspiration). For some years, weather-resistant articles have been produced from materials which permit passage of water vapor while preventing passage of liquid water. These articles provide increased comfort by permitting moisture vapor created by the wearer""s perspiration to escape from within the article while in use. An example of this material is a breathable waterproof laminated fabric containing a layer of expanded porous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coated with a breathable polyurethane polymer, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,041 issued Mar. 18, 1980 to Gore et al.
To construct weather-resistant articles, waterproof or weather-resistant material typically is cut into pattern pieces and sewn together. Care must be taken in the design of weather-resistant articles to allow sealing of seams present in the waterproof material used to form the article. Closures containing snaps, buttons or slide fasteners, commonly referred to as xe2x80x9czippersxe2x80x9d, have been used in the design of weather-resistant articles. With the improvements in waterproof fabrics, the seams connecting the fabric material have become a principal location where water penetration tends to occur. This problem is probably most severe at seams connected with resealable closures, such as access zippers, zippered pockets, underarm ventilation zippers, and other openings provided for adjustable ventilation. While these resealable closures are necessary for the proper functioning of the product, they have proven to be particularly difficult to seal properly. In the case of closures of slide fasteners having teeth, and attached with fabric stringer tapes, liquid may pass between gaps in the teeth of the slide fastener or between the fibers of the fabric stringer tapes. Liquid may also wick tangentially from the teeth along the fabric surface of the stringer tapes, thereby entering the article. It will also pass via the needle holes of stitched seams resulting from sewing the stringer tapes to the article with thread.
A number of attempts have been made to develop a slide fastener that is resistant to the passage of water. Some solutions have been directed to making the zipper structure itself water impervious. Other solutions have relied on forming. an interlocking fit with ancillary material directly adjacent the zipper such that the ancillary material forms a barrier between the environment and the zipper. An example of the latter can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,490,109 issued Jan., 1970, to Heimberger. Another solution exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 3,624,871 issued December, 1971, to Osterkorn, provided for highly overlapped zipper flaps that extended over the outer zipper structure. While the structure provided a low-cost solution to the challenge, the deficiency of this design, however, was the structure""s failure to provide some positive means for maintaining the overlap. In a variation of this solution, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,172 issued Jul. 20, 1999 to Klein, a conventional slide fastener having two stringer tapes is used with a fluid resistant structure. Two sheaths are incorporated into a closable structure, in overlapping fashion, at or near the opening of the structure. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,085 issued Jul. 22, 1986, to Yoshida et al., a slide fastener is disclosed with a stringer tape made water-resistant through one of a variety of methods, including attaching multiple layers of water sealant material or constructing the entire stringer tape from waterproof material. To improve water-tightness, the patent employs dual rows of offset slide fastener elements with a barrier layer of stringer tape mounted across the opening between them. This approach is deficient in a number of respects. First, the mechanisms taught for imparting waterproofness are difficult and costly to implement. Second, the patent offers only partial solutions to avoid seepage of water through stitched seams holding the slide fastener elements in place. Third, the patent is silent as to how to mount the zipper to avoid leakage through the seams anchoring the stringer tapes to the fabric. Finally, the use of an intermediate barrier layer, and especially the suggested double coupling construction, makes the closure bulky and tends to hinder unrestricted operation of the zipper.
Some of these deficiencies are addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,859 issued Dec. 26, 1989, to Horita. In this patent, a single row of zipper elements is anchored to a stringer tape and then the stringer tape is coated on one side by a waterproof layer. To resist water seepage through the slide fastener elements, the teeth are mounted to create a barrier layer with the stringer tapes abutting one another in a closed position. Although the Horita zipper may avoid a seepage problem for the stitches holding the zipper elements in place, this design is also deficient in a number of respects. The patent provides no teaching of how to attach the zipper to fabric or how to avoid seepage through seams which may be used to anchor the stringer tapes in place.
In light of these difficulties, a common method used today for protecting a zippered opening in a water-resistant garment is to install a conventional zipper in conjunction with one or more storm flaps or other separate barrier layer. These flaps are attached to a garment to cover and/or back the zipper and prevent water from passing through. Weather-resistant articles have additionally required a storm fly flap or flaps to be placed externally over the closures to prevent the closures from coming in direct contact with a forceful spray of liquid and allowing liquid to pass between gaps in the closure. Nevertheless, storm fly flaps are bulky, require sewing and sealing the article to be effective, and all are aesthetically limiting to article manufacturers desiring to design sleek and fashionable weather-resistant articles. Outside storm flaps are normally held in place with a series of snaps or hook-and-loop fasteners. Storm layers are effective at eliminating water seepage. Unfortunately, storm flaps tend to be expensive to manufacture and attach, requiring a significant amount of material and numerous additional mounting steps. Further, such barrier layers restrict ready user access to the zipper and, if not properly constructed, are prone to being caught in the zipper. Moreover, storm flaps in weather-resistant garments are overly bulky, limit the range of design options, and lead to the garments looking too similar to one another.
A common disadvantage of closure systems of the prior art is that one or more stitched seams are required to form a fly or flap of material in an object to cover the closure. The stitched seams interrupt the smoothness of the outside surface. Also, the extra features added to enhance water-resistance increase bulkiness. As a result, closures of the prior art typically detract from the appearance of objects and limit their aesthetic design.
The invention solves the above problems by providing a hidden closure that includes a fastener and a flap covering the fastener, in which the fastener is located on the interior side of the flap. This has a number of immediate advantages over the prior art. The hidden closure system is less bulky than many prior art fasteners. The closure has no or few stitched seams exposed to the outside, resulting in a sleek, smooth outside surface. It is more difficult for leakage of water and other weather elements at the fastener to occur, since the leakage direction is opposite to the usual direction of fluid flow, that is, it is in a direction exterior to the garment or other item which is closed by the system. Moreover, any leakage that penetrates the fastener enters the interior of the flap, and not the interior of the item.
Preferably, the fastener includes two rows of fastener elements mounted on stringer tape, and the stringer tape is stiffer than the fabric or other panel material of which the item is made. This has another immediate advantage in that the stiffness of the stringer tape stiffens the flap, thereby maintaining the shape of the closure and better protecting the opening against the outside.
Preferably, the invention also includes a flap fastener to attach the distal end of the flap to the outer surface of the garment or other item. This holds the flap flat against the item for both improved water tightness and appearance. Preferably, the flap fastener comprises a hook-and-loop fastener or a magnet fastener.
The closure according to the invention is preferably formed by folding over the ends of the panels to be connected by the closure. One panel is overlapped longitudinally by the other with the folded portions between the overlapping and the overlapped portions of the panels. The edges of the folded over portions of the panels form a longitudinal opening which is closed by a fastener. The fastener is either glued or stitched to the folded portions. However, any attachment of either the fastener or folded portions to the overlapping portions preferably is glued. This results in a seamless, smooth, finished appearance, with the only evidence of the opening being the crease marking the folded end of the exterior panel.
Preferably, the fastener is a zipper in which the rows of fastener elements are rows of teeth mounted on stringer tape. Preferably, the teeth are mounted on the side of the stringer tape that faces the interior side of the exterior panel, that is, on the side facing the interior of the closure. Preferably, the zipper linkage tunnel is also positioned on the interior side of the tapes, and the zipper pull-tab extends from the linkage tunnel to the exterior side of the stringer tapes.
Preferably, the folded over portion of the interior one of the panels, and the stringer tape attached to the fastener elements if this is present, are stitched to the interior panel and the seam is covered by a sealant, such as waterproof sealing tape. This stitching defines the proximal end of the flap in this embodiment.
The panel construction can be one, two or three ply. A lining is preferably attached to the interior surface of the exterior panel.
The closure system according to the invention not only is extremely resistant to water, wind or other fluid penetrating into the interior of the garment or other item, but also presents a flat, smooth, and sleek appearance referred to herein as a xe2x80x9cseamless flap constructionxe2x80x9d. Numerous other features and advantages of a closure in accordance with the invention will become apparent when the description below is read in conjunction with the drawings.